Houston man awaiting sentencing for 2019 murder shoots girlfriend in murder-suicide, police say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man who apparently shot his girlfriend and then died by suicide Thursday morning was under house arrest and awaiting sentencing for a 2019 murder case.

Neighbors at 1810 Main Street were awakened by sounds of gunfire from the apartment Austin Collette shared with his girlfriend on the 10th floor.

Police officers and SWAT team members quickly showed up.

"During the early morning hours, a resident reported hearing some loud noises in an apartment back here," Houston Police Homicide Detective Mark Holbrook said. "The SWAT team came and forced entry into the residence. The door was barricaded shut, and they found a male and female in the apartment."

Police say both Collete and the woman were dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Collette's attorney, Kent Schaffer, confirmed to ABC13 that his client is suspected of committing the murder-suicide and that he was also awaiting sentencing in a separate murder case.

Court records show Collette pleaded guilty in December 2024 to the 2019 murder of a man during a botched drug deal.

He was placed under house arrest, wearing an ankle monitor, and was supposed to be sentenced in a few weeks. Schaffer said Collette anticipated being sentenced to approximately 20 years behind bars for the 2019 case.

"It's a major stressor event, being charged with multiple felonies," Detective Holbrook said when asked about whether the impending prison sentence could have caused the tragic shooting. "It can lead to homicide or suicide. People don't think clearly when facing a large stressor event like that."

Records also show that Collette was facing an additional drug charge besides the murder plea. Schaffer says that the case was languishing due to a lack of evidence.

Several people who identified themselves as Collette's relatives showed up at the apartment. However, they did not want to speak on camera.

The Houston Police Department collected a lot of evidence, including several safes, but would not comment on whether they found drugs or cash inside. They do confirm that Collette was wearing an ankle monitor.

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